Our volunteers are a vital part of our success. We provide the best possible care in every way and much of the support we provide wouldn’t be possible without our generous volunteers. Whether it’s helping run a fundraising event, hospital radio, ward helper or offering a caring ear, our volunteers’ generosity make our services better.
Volunteering not only improves the experiences of our patients, visitors and staff, but also provides an opportunity to learn new skills and meet new people. Whether you are looking to gain experience in a Healthcare environment or simply give a little back to your community.
There are a variety of Voluntary roles within the Trust and the number is growing by the day. Volunteers provide support all around the main hospital sites as well as in other locations where we provide services. The Voluntary Services Department enables suitably trained hospital volunteers to help in a variety of ways throughout the hospital, deploying them where they are most needed and suited.
We are keen to hear from people who can spare around 4-10 hours per month and who would be interested in helping on the wards, in particular helping at mealtimes, in clinics, and in Outpatients, supporting the Voluntary Service Office, or acting as a meet and greet guide helping patients to find their way to various destinations within our hospitals. Volunteers are required to commit to a minimum of at least four months of service. The minimum age for most Voluntary roles is 18 years.
From time to time we have volunteer opportunities available at Furness General Hospital, the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, and Westmorland General Hospital. For further information on volunteering at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, contact Barry Rigg: volunteers@mbht.nhs.uk
Where can you volunteer?
Talk to patients, help patients to select meals, assist with feeding, run errands and bed making.
Assist at meal times – distributing meals, making drinks, talking to patients.
General administration duties including filing, photocopying, data entry, reception duties.
Tend to garden area (watering, dead heading, pruning plants and shrubs.)
Welcome visitors, ensure leaflet racks are stocked and tidy, seeking patients comments, suggestions and complaints.
Help visitors with general enquiries, provide directions.
Walk visitors to their required destination within the hospital, help with general enquiries.
Assist with writing case studies and articles for publishing, public speaking.
Meet and greet women and visitors and show them where they need to go, support staff in the care of pregnant women and new mums, help on the ward, assist administration duties.
Blood Bikes North West is an Emergency Volunteer Service that provides the out of hours transportation of urgent medical supplies such as; samples, results and scans, medication and equipment to any NHS establishment within the Northwest.
Work involves ward visiting to meet the patients, presentation, production and fundraising.
The Theatres service at UHMBT is being transformed as part of the Trust’s recovery from coronavirus to create more sustainable and efficient ways of working across the Bay for the future.
Volunteers within this programme will be able to help give information and support to patients who want to improve their health prior to surgery.
Westmorland Café Meet and Greet, assisting in the provision of a welcoming and accommodating hospital environment and to support the café, food and drink service.